


Clothes Encounters

by Kisumiplease (Youinfiresme)



Series: Laundromat AU [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Awkward but adorable Makoto, Fluff, Hayato is a cute cupcake, Humor, Laundromat, M/M, Pool, Scheming Kisumi, Sleepy Haruka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 01:58:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4545846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Youinfiresme/pseuds/Kisumiplease
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka is sleepy at the laundromat and Makoto is wishy washy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waves of Change (And clothes)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iknowitried](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iknowitried/gifts).



> This is for my amazing friend, iknowitried. Love ya girly!

Makoto hums as he carries in his basket of laundry into the small Laundromat near his house. It was a nice day to wash his and the twins’ clothes, and for some reason it always put him in a good mood because he felt like he was helping get some work done for his family.

“Good morning, Makoto-kun,” the elderly lady who ran the laundromat says with a smile.

“Good morning! Nice day, isn’t it?” Makoto responds cheerily, laughing along with her.

He starts unloading the clothes into a machine and smiles to himself as he pays with some coins. He was in a really good mood. He had a book to read, and the sound of the machines was soothing as well. As he sits down, he keeps the half-full basket of clothes close to his feet for the second round. He looks around and sees that it’s a bit empty for now, but it was likely to get full later. He notices that there is someone sitting next to him, around his age. He feels a little silly that he hasn’t introduced himself yet, since he’s sitting right next to him.

“Good morning, I’m Tachibana Makoto,” he says with a friendly smile, making eye contact. The other boy seemed to be deep in thought, just staring at the clothes going round and round in the washer in front of him until Makoto distracted him from his reverie.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

Haruka watches his clothes spin in the washing machine, appearing bored to all around him. He was actually mesmerized by it. The sounds were like the ocean, and his clothes were like spinning waves. Waves made of clothes. He blinks and keeps watching the clothes. He normally wouldn’t wash his swimsuits since they were almost always in water anyways. However, his other clothes did need to be washed eventually, so he just decided to wash everything together. He was almost regretting it now, because he could use this time to go for a swim.

His train of thought is broken when he sees someone sit next to him. His eyes go back to the machine, not wanting to stare. He doesn’t expect them to actually start a conversation, though.

“Good morning, I’m Tachibana Makoto.”

“Nanase Haruka,” he answers with a small nod of his head. “Haru is fine.”

“Nice to meet you. You can call me Makoto, then,” Makoto answers with a smile, not fazed by Haruka’s words.

Haruka nods at Makoto with the smallest of smiles and watches him pull out his book. Usually people would assume he is uninterested in them and would stop talking to him, but Makoto seems to understand that Haruka just wasn’t one for small talk. Haruka goes back to staring at the machine, eyes transfixed again.

At some point, he had drifted asleep to the drone of the machines. When he wakes, it feels like it has been a long time. There were many more people now, but when he turns his head, Makoto isn’t sitting next to him anymore. In fact, he wasn’t there at all, and his clothes were now dried and in neat stacks in his laundry basket. He frowns in confusion, seeing a small note on top of his clothes.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

Makoto looks up when a machine makes a small ‘ping’ to notify that it was done. He realizes it isn’t his own, but Haruka’s. He is about to go back to reading, but he sees that Haruka was asleep and unaware that his clothes were done. He sighs quietly, unsure if he should wake him or not. What if he had somewhere to go after this? But he looked so tired…

He gently taps Haruka on the shoulder in an attempt to wake him. “Um…” he starts, but drops his hand, almost feeling bad to wake him. It wouldn’t be wrong to just help him out by putting the clothes in the dryer for him, right? He did have extra change, and he could use Haruka’s washer to get started on Ren and Ran’s clothes too. It should be fine since he was just helping him out. It wasn’t like it was creepy or anything. He hopes.

A few minutes later, Haruka’s clothes are in the dryer, and the rest of Makoto’s are in the laundry machine. He takes a deep breath and sits back down, cheeks a little flushed from nervousness. If Haruka woke up now and saw he had put his clothes in the dryer for him, he could get upset. No, he had just been trying to help. Maybe he could just laugh and pretend it wasn’t him, that the teeny tiny children’s clothes occupying Haruka’s machine belonged to that elderly man over there. No, that was mean; he couldn’t lie and blame it on someone else. _Deep breaths, Makoto._

Ten minutes of self-calming thoughts later, Makoto transfers his clothes into his own dryer. Well, the Laundromat’s. Yes, these were public machines for everyone; he shouldn’t feel guilty for moving Haruka’s clothes. Now that he thinks about it, he’d seen a lot of swim trunks in Haruka’s laundry. Not that he was looking specifically at his clothes--that would be totally weird. He sits down again, almost too nervous to understand the book in front of him. Haruka swims, maybe he could ask him if he wants to go swimming sometime. Wait, that was too forward, he barely knows the guy! Even if he was a little cute. Even if he wanted to get to know him more. He couldn’t though, he wasn’t Kisumi! He makes an embarrassed, frustrated noise, bowing his face into his hands.

“I know, kid, the sound of laundry machines drive me insane too,” a man next to him laughs, gently patting his shoulder. Makoto just laughs awkwardly, nodding.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

Soon Makoto calms down from his almost-crisis, feeling fortunate Haruka hasn’t woken yet. However, that leads to another crisis. Haruka’s clothes are done drying, and he needs to dry Ren and Ran’s clothes or he’ll be stuck here an extra hour waiting for his machine. Not to mention, it was taking up space. At least now that he is thinking properly, he rationalizes that others need to get their clothes washed too, and if Haruka kept sleeping, it would be an unnecessarily occupied machine. But maybe he could wait this time, since the guilt would be overwhelming if he just took Haruka’s clothes out and dumped them in his basket.

“Excuse me dear. Could you please help out your friend there with his clothes? It would be lovely if I could start doing these,” a lady says with a kind smile, motioning to her basket full of clothes on the floor.

“Er. Well he’s actually not…of course, I can do that,” Makoto says, about to explain that he barely knew Haruka. She just asked so nicely that he felt bad to make her wait for the machine when Haruka was asleep indefinitely. He mentally curses his inability to say no to people.

Two minutes later, he is sitting down with a basket full of Haruka’s clothes and regrets. He should have woken him earlier. Why couldn’t he just wake him up right now? It certainly didn’t have anything to do with how those dark lashes lightly grazed his cheekbones, how his soft breaths made him look so peaceful while sleeping. Especially not those things--that would be weird.

‘Well, Makoto, at this rate you might as well fold his clothes for him while he sleeps,’ he mutters sarcastically under his breath, shaking his head and probably looking crazy. Or maybe he really should, as an apology for moving his clothes. He had to wait for his clothes to dry anyways, so why not.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

A lot of reconsidering his mental willpower later, Makoto is done folding Haruka’s clothes. As the finishing touch, he sticks a note on top:

_Sorry about moving your clothes, you had fallen asleep. I hope you don’t mind._

_Have a wonderful day!_

_-Makoto :)_

He added the smiley face after five whole minutes of contemplation, not wanting to seem too personal if he’s already creeped Haruka out. But otherwise, his note would seem to mean. He sighs and glances once more at the note, then at Haruka. For one bold moment he had even considered leaving his number with the intention of swimming with him, but the thought only made his face heat up. It would only be more obvious that he’d looked at all of Haruka’s clothes, and they really didn’t know each other. And anyways, no matter how friendly he was, Makoto couldn’t find the nerve to flirt like that. Not that he was trying to flirt or anything.

Makoto feels relieved to finally leave without being caught folding Haruka’s laundry once he is out the door with freshly cleaned clothes. He heads home, distracting himself by thinking about how he could spend time with the twins at home. Maybe he can take them to the pool tomorrow. Not because Haruka might be there.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

The confusion leaves Haruka’s face as he reads the note from Makoto. There is a small smile on his lips now as he picks up his basket of clean, folded clothes. He thought it had been kind and considerate of Makoto to help with his laundry when he fell asleep. It was sort of cute too.


	2. Things are going swimmingly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto takes the twins to the pool, and Kisumi and Hayato come along.

“Mako-nii, Ren is being slow again!” Ran whines out to Makoto, tugging on his hand. She was already dressed for the pool, towel in hand. “Ran doesn’t like it…” she says with a pout at her older brother. Makoto offers a smile, crouching.

“Ran-chan, we just have to wait a little, okay?” Makoto says, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I’m sorry!” Ren calls out from the top of the stairs. His expression is a little flustered, his arms full with his towel and bag.

“Nothing to worry about, we’re not leaving without you!” Makoto laughs softly, finding his younger siblings too cute. Ren teasingly pokes Ran’s cheek, and Ran lets out a squeak.

“Hey now, no poking,” Makoto says, taking Ren and Ran’s bags in his arms since it would be hard for him to carry them both. “All ready to go?” he asks. They both nod, pulling on his hands.

“Going now? Take care,” their mother says, coming to the door with a smile. She leans down to kiss Ren and Ran’s cheeks before hugging Makoto. Soon she is waving from the window while Ren and Ran walk besides Makoto, chattering enthusiastically. The pool was a short walk away and it was the same lovely weather as yesterday.

“Mako-nii my feet hurt, carry me,” Ren whines after about ten minutes.

“But Mako-nii is carrying too much,” Ran says, a small frown on his face. Ren just pouts and Makoto laughs.

“Almost there, don’t worry,” he says, making sure to keep their hands tight in his when crossing the street.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

“Almost there, Hayato,” Kisumi says with a smile, nuzzling his little brother’s cheek with his nose. “You excited?” he asks, and Hayato smiles brightly, nodding from his arms.

“Um. But Kisu-nii, I don’t have to go in the big pool yet, please?” Hayato asks in a quiet voice, looking at Kisumi, his arms tightening around him.

“No, you don’t have to until you’re ready, cupcake,” Kisumi says, eyes softening. “And remember, big brother is going to be with you the whole time,” he says, gently ruffling his hair. Hayato giggles quietly.

“But I do want you to play with friends if you see any, okay?” Kisumi says with a small smile. Hayato was quite shy around new people, but all it took was a little conversation.

“Okay nii-chan,” Hayato says, nodding as he turns his head. “Look, Kisu-nii, over there!” he says, sounding excited. Kisumi looks behind him to where Hayato was pointing and grins.

“Makoto!” Kisumi says, then smiles wider when he sees Ren and Ran. “Hey, going to the pool too?” he asks. Then he remembers the frantic text Makoto had sent him last night explaining what happened at the Laundromat. “Think someone might be there?” he asks in a teasing voice. Makoto turns red and shakes his head, looking pointedly at Ren and Ran. Kisumi laughs and nods, understanding.

“Kisu-chan! Kissy-chan!” Ren and Ran squeal together. They let go of Makoto’s hand and run to each hug a leg, making Kisumi lose his balance for a moment.

“Hi Ren, Ran,” Kisumi laughs. “Hayato, want to walk now?” he asks, and Hayato nods, smiling shyly at Ren and Ran. They were a few years older than he was, but he was still good friends with them. He keeps holding Kisumi’s hand. That is, until Ren and Ran decide to shower him with their affections instead.

“Haya-chan!” they say excitedly, letting go of Kisumi’s legs to hug him tight. Hayato lets out a surprised squeak, but relaxes when they hug gently.

“Careful, guys,” Makoto says with worry, but Kisumi just waves it off. Hayato was smiling now and hugging back.

“Swim in the water with us, Haya-chan!” Ren says, and Ran nods with a big smile.

“Umm…well,” Hayato starts, holding Kisumi’s hand again and looking up at him.

“Hayato and I are going to be in the smaller pool,” Kisumi explains. Makoto nods, understanding.

“Then we’re going to go there too, right Ran?” Ren says. Ran nods, a big smile on her face. Hayato’s shy expression turns happy when he hears both of his friends want to join him. He felt awkward since he couldn’t swim in the big pool yet, but Ren and Ran didn’t make it a big deal. Kisumi smiles and Makoto looks relieved that his siblings wanted to give Hayato company, since he knows how Hayato was a bit nervous about water.

“Mako-nii, let’s go!” Ran says, tugging his hand. Makoto smiles and nods, letting her pull him. Kisumi laughs and holds Hayato’s hand while Ren walks alongside the smaller boy. Ren starts talking animatedly with Hayato, not minding that Hayato talked less.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

Haruka floats on his back, eyes closed. It was a nice combination to feel the warmth of the sun and the weightlessness of the water underneath him. The pool was a little more crowded than usual since it was the weekend, but he didn’t mind as long as he could be in the water. He sighs quietly and turns over to start swimming a lap. He’d have to admit it was a little boring without Rin here to race him. He had an excuse about having to go on a double date with Sousuke since Gou was meeting with ‘some idiot otter.’ They needed to ‘defend her honor’ or something.

“No wait, sunscreen first!” he hears a familiar voice call, and he pauses, submerged to his nose so he could see where that voice came from. He scans the outside of the pool and hears it again. When he sees the person it came from, he blinks. It was Makoto, the one who folded his clothes for him yesterday. He watches as Makoto chases after two children to the shallower pool with a sunscreen bottle. He almost smiles, and then notices that he was wearing swim trunks and had the back and arm muscles of a swimmer. He also seemed to be good with kids, even if they were running away from him. That was a pleasant surprise.

“Nii-chan, but I don’t want to, we already put sunscreen on!” the young girl whines, while the small boy pouts and obeys first. Makoto was joined by another boy around his age, and Haruka watches as he starts to put sunscreen on the small boy he was carrying.

It was hard to really understand the rest of their conversation, but for some reason he found it amusing to watch. He decides to go back to swimming. He’d thank Makoto once he’s got everything settled.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

Kisumi peppers Hayato’s cheeks, nose, and forehead with kisses. “Good, Haya-chan. Thank you for letting me put sunscreen on you,” he says, and Hayato giggles quietly, the kisses tickling him. “Ready to get in?” he asks, and Hayato nods. “Okay cutie, big brother is right here,” he says, gently lowering Hayato in and sitting on the edge with his feet in the water. The water was just below Hayato’s shoulders if he was standing, and Hayato could even sit on the stairs. Ren gets in next to Hayato, all done with his sunscreen since he cooperated first. Ran gets in a few moments later while Makoto sighs loudly with relief.

“You alive, Mako-chan?” Kisumi laughs, nudging Makoto’s shoulder when he sits next to him. Makoto just laughs, nodding. “So…is Mr. Swimmer here?” Kisumi asks, and Makoto’s cheeks turn pink.

“Kisumi!” he chides, though he glances around him. “I don’t know…” he says, frowning.

“You folded his swim trunks yesterday, Mako. Recognize any?” Kisumi laughs, and Makoto frowns childishly.

“Shh, you’re talking too loud…” Makoto says in a loud whisper, trailing off when he is suddenly shadowed by someone. He looks up, eyes widening when he sees Haruka standing over him.

“Hello Makoto. Thank you for yesterday,” comes Haruka’s voice. He has a small smile on his face, while Makoto has a look of almost-terror.

“O-Oh yeah! No problem! I was worried you’d think it was--of course, you’re welcome, I was happy to help!” he stutters. Kisumi has a look of pure mischief on his face. Haruka just watches as Makoto blushes furiously, his eyes shining with unshed laughter.

“You saved me a lot of time,” Haruka says, head tilting a little. In a very cute way, according to Makoto. “You look like you swim,” he says, eyes trailing down this shoulders and arms a moment before he lifts his gaze again. “Do you want to race?” he asks, changing the subject. Kisumi lets out a small snort from trying to contain his laughter, pretending to be occupied with Hayato and Makoto’s siblings.

“I uh. I’m looking after my brother and sister, maybe-maybe…” Makoto starts, turning red to the ears now. Was Haruka looking at his muscles? Could he really tell he swims by his muscles? What did he mean by race? Was he over thinking things?

“Mako-chan is an amazing swimmer! You should go, I’ll watch the kids,” Kisumi grins, bumping his shoulder against Makoto’s.

“I’ll be over there if you want,” Haruka says with a small nod at them both before going back to the pool.

As soon as Haruka is out of hearing distance, Makoto turns to Kisumi with big eyes. “What do I do?” he asks, as if the answer isn’t obvious.

“Oh Mako, what do you think? Go with him! I know you think he’s cute, let’s not lie about that. And plus, can’t you tell that he likes you too? He’s asking you to swim with him,” Kisumi sighs in exasperation.

“I guess…but the kids-” Makoto starts, frowning. Kisumi groans and slaps his forehead.

“Mako, I’ve got it covered, you can trust your best friend. Just go! Woo him with your fabulous back stroke,” Kisumi says, smirking and nudging his shoulder. Makoto gulps and nods, standing with a deep, calming breath.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

Haruka wonders if he had been too bold and embarrassed Makoto. He’d just asked Makoto to swim with him though; there was no harm in that. He has a feeling Makoto’s friend knew something was up, if the badly-disguised grinning was anything to go by. Whatever, there was nothing to hide anyways. Hopefully Makoto would join him soon though, he was feeling bored of the pool for the first time in a while. He ducks under and starts to swim aimlessly, head poking up out of the water when he sees Makoto standing there at the edge just watching him with rapt attention.

“Ready to swim?” he asks, looking up at Makoto. Makoto stares at him a moment when he speaks.

“That was beautiful…your swimming is…wow,” Makoto says, nervousness all gone, replaced with awe.

“It’s just swimming,” Haruka shrugs, though the compliment causes him to look away a moment, cheeks turning slightly pink. Makoto just laughs quietly, and Haruka thinks it’s one of the loveliest sounds he’s heard in his life. Makoto does some quick arm and leg stretches since he hasn’t warmed up while Haruka waits, looking up intently at him.

“Alright, I’m ready,” Makoto says with a self-assured smile. “I uh…swim backstroke best,” he adds, sheepish smile coming to his face.

“You guys racing? I’ll call time,” Kisumi says, walking up to the edge of the pool, Hayato’s hand in his. Ren and Ran were giggling, looking between them. They didn’t know Haruka yet, but they were excited to see them race.

Makoto looks up with a smile and nods. “Thank you Kisumi. Oh, Ren, Ran, this is Haruka-kun,” he adds, realizing he never introduced them yet. Haruka gives Ren and Ran a small smile, doing the same for Kisumi and Hayato.

“Haru is fine,” Haruka corrects, but Ren already starts talking excitedly.

“You’re a good swimmer, Haru-chan? Mako-nii is really good,” Ren asks, making Ran frown at her for her bold question.

“Well I’m sure Haru is a great swimmer,” Makoto says, but Haruka smiles a little more, not taking offense.

“I just like swimming, that’s all,” Haruka answers. Kisumi watches everyone with a smirk on his face. He sits down at the edge of the pool, feet dangling in the water as he keeps Hayato sitting in his lap. Hayato kicks a little at the water, not joining the conversation but enjoying the atmosphere.

“We’ll swim free. Let’s go to the edge and back.,” Haruka says. Makoto smiles and nods, getting in position.

“Alright! Finally starting this,” Kisumi laughs, sandwiched between Ren and Ran now.

“Start in 3…2…1…go!”

“Wooow!” Ren and Ran squeal as they watch Haruka and Makoto kick off.

“They’re so fast!” Ran exclaims, clapping his hands eagerly. Hayato giggles, watching with curious eyes as he holds onto Kisumi’s secure arms.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

Haruka feels the thrum of the competition through his body as he swims alongside Makoto. Makoto was actually quite fast, even if not as fast as he was.

Makoto knows he’s probably not going to beat Haruka, but he gives everything he has into the race. Haruka was very fast, and the way he swam was so fluid, like he was cutting through the water.

They both touch the wall and come up with a gasp. Makoto can vaguely hear Ren and Ran cheering and Kisumi laughing. Makoto smiles, not even caring he lost, just feeling the rush of happiness from racing with Haruka. He may have just met him yesterday, but he felt he knew so much more about Haruka through swimming with him.

“That was so cool, Mako-chan, Haru-chan!” Kisumi says with a big smile. Haruka only looks slightly put-off by the nickname Kisumi gave him. “I’ll go back over there with these guys for a bit, but keep swimming,” Kisumi says, free arm being tugged by Ren.

“Ren, don’t pull Kisu-chan’s hand so hard!” Ran says worriedly as they walk back.

“Yeah, need this hand for basketball, don’t I?” Kisumi jokes lightly before turning back to wink at Haruka and Makoto.

“Your friend is interesting,” Haruka says, turning to look at Makoto, eyes brighter.

“Yeah…” Makoto just laughs, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “So uh…”

“Want to keep swimming?” Haruka asks. Makoto nods, smile returning.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

“Ah, so tired,” Makoto sighs as he and Haruka stop at the edge of the pool to catch their breath. They had spent the past hour racing and swimming together, occasionally taking breaks to stop and just talk to each other. “Actually…it’s probably time to go home. Ren and Ran need to have dinner in an hour,” he adds softly, looking at Haruka apologetically.

“That’s fine, I need to get going too,” Haruka says, a small smile on his lips. Makoto nods, almost not understanding because he is suddenly too caught up with gazing at Haruka’s eyes. “We should swim again tomorrow,” Haruka says, fully aware Makoto wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying. He smirks a little.

“Yeah…wait really? With me?” Makoto asks dumbly, eyes big. Haruka nods slowly, close to laughing even though he wouldn’t.

“Yes. With you. Is 4 okay?” Haruka asks. Makoto nods without a word, still a little dazed. “Good,” Haruka says with a minute nod before reaching up to gently stroke his cheek. “Don’t move, you’ve got an eyelash,” he says, not lying. Maybe.

Makoto hardly responds, too focused on _‘Oh my god he’s touching my face what do I do!?’_ He almost misses it when Haruka leans in and pecks his cheek, moving away sooner than he can register it. Makoto’s brain nearly short-circuits.

“See you tomorrow then, Makoto,” Haruka says, lifting himself out of the pool before walking towards the locker rooms. Makoto watches him go, yet again unable to say anything.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

“Had fun today, guys?” Kisumi asks as they exit the pool, Hayato in his arms once again while Ren and Ran hold onto Makoto’s hands.

“Yeah! Haya-chan is good at kicking!” Ren says. Hayato had tried kicking in the water with the help of Kisumi, and Ren and Ran had been very encouraging.

“What about you, cupcake?” Kisumi asks his little brother.

“I had fun!” Hayato says, eyes bright. Ran giggles, glad his friend had fun. “What about you, Mako-nii? Did you have fun with Haru-chan?” Ran asks, looking up at his older brother.

“Yeah Mako, how was that?” Kisumi asks, a sparkle in his eyes.

“It was fun,” Makoto says with a soft smile.

~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~-`-~

Makoto flops onto his bed, exhausted from all the swimming he did today. He can’t help the smile on his face as he touches his cheek.

“Who is it now…” he mumbles to himself when his phone buzzes with a new text:

_Mako-chan, you should have kissed him back!! You two need to get married already_ (╯◕_◕)╯

_I better hear good news about tomorrow !_ (✿◠‿◠)

_Kisumi Shigino_

Makoto buries his face against his pillow though his smile betrays him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
